Blood cancer screening and blood test

The Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) in collaboration with Kumamoto University Japan, will carry out a community service project to provide free blood cancer screening and blood test in Padawan area starting in the month of August 2017. This project is strongly supported by the Padawan Municipal Council.

The chairperson of the Padawan Municipal Council, Cr Lo Khere Chiang announced this project in a press conference, and introduced the medical team of this project from UNIMAS: Dean of Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Professor Dr Ahmad Hata bin Rasit, Deputy Dean (Postgraduate and Research) Associate Professor Dr. Asri bin Said, Project Supervisor, Professor Dr. Lela binti Haji Su’ut, Project Team Leader, Associate Professor Dr. Kuan Jew Win (Clinical Haematologist), Dr. Isabel Fong Lim (Doctorate of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine), Ms. Tay Siow Phing (Biomedical Scientist (Haematology)), Staff Nurse Ms. Natasya Marliana binti Abdul Malik and Staff Nurse Ms. Imelda anak Jana.

This community service project will involve home visits that will be carried out by the Associate Professor Dr. Kuan Jew Win and her team consisting of the nurses, to the selected houses in the Padawan Municipal area. The team will explain the services that will be provided and perform health interview, health check and take blood sample to check blood parameters and blood cancer gene, i.e. BCR-ABL1 after obtaining consent of the relevant residents of the selected houses.  Later, UNIMAS medical team will inform the blood test results to the owner of blood sample and provide appropriate medical consultation if needed.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a type of blood cancer, caused by blood cancer gene BCR-ABL1.  The progress of the disease is divided into early phase (Chronic Phase), middle phase (Accelerated Phase) and late phase (Blast Crisis).  If the disease is diagnosed at early phase, almost all the patients can have near normal life span by taking oral medication to control the disease progression.  Unfortunately, the early phase of CML usually does not have any symptom and common blood test checking blood parameter might be mildly abnormal leading to high chance of missed diagnosis.  A special and expensive blood test, for the detection blood cancer gene BCR-ABL1, is able to detect the early phase of CML and monitor the disease’s progression.  The cost of this blood cancer gene BCR-ABL1 test is about RM500 per test and Sarawak does not have a facility to offer this blood cancer gene BCR-ABL1 test locally.  However, under a research collaboration between UNIMAS and Kumamoto University, UNIMAS is now able to serve the community via this project, to benefit Sarawakians by having the facility to perform this blood cancer gene BCR-ABL1 test.

The areas selected in Padawan are:

1. RPR Batu Kawa Phase 2

2. Jalan Batu Kawa – Matang, Taman PRC

3. Jalan Padawan, Kampung Serumah

4. Kampung Pesang, Padawan

5. Taman Hua Yan

6. Taman Sri Makmur, RPR Batu 6

The public can contact Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UNIMAS: + 6 082 581000 / 581388, ext 7007 for any enquiry about this project.